Guillermo del Toro's 'Frankenstein' nearly starred a Spider-Man actor — until a key role was recast
Guillermo del Toro's 'Frankenstein' has finally come to life on Netflix, but the monster we see on screen could have looked very different. In an alternate timeline, the director's dream project might have starred 'The Amazing Spider-Man' star Andrew Garfield as Victor Frankenstein's tragic creation. Instead, it was Jacob Elordi who ultimately stepped into the creature's massive boots, rescuing the production from what could have been yet another devastating delay. When del Toro's 'Frankenstein' was first announced, Garfield was attached to play 'The Creature' opposite Oscar Isaac as Victor Frankenstein and Mia Goth as Elizabeth Lavenza.
However, just weeks before cameras began rolling in early 2024, Garfield was forced to step away due to scheduling conflicts that arose in the aftermath of the 2023 Hollywood strikes. His departure left del Toro in a tight spot. Enter Jacob Elordi. The 'Euphoria' and 'Saltburn' actor joined the project at the eleventh hour, instantly reshaping the film's creative direction. Though del Toro and his team had spent nine months crafting The Creature's look for Garfield, they were suddenly forced to redesign everything in just nine weeks to fit Elordi's very different physicality and presence.
"You can’t be under more pressure than that," del Toro told Vanity Fair, recalling the race against time. It's hard to argue with the result. Elordi's towering 6-foot-5 frame gives 'Frankenstein's' monster an imposing, almost tragic power that plays beautifully against Isaac's Victor. Garfield, at 5-foot-10, might have delivered a mesmerizing performance, but the physical and generational gap between Elordi (28) and Isaac (46) helps amplify one of del Toro's most enduring themes: the destructive nature of the father-son bond. That theme has run through much of del Toro's recent work, including 'Pinocchio' and 'Nightmare Alley'.
Here, it takes center stage once again, with Victor Frankenstein's obsessive ambition and cruel rejection of his creation mirroring his own father's sins. The story becomes as much about inherited trauma as it is about the blurred line between love and control. "Andrew Garfield stepping out and Jacob coming in. I mean, it was like Jacob is the most perfect actor for The Creature," the filmmaker said. "And we have a supernaturally good connection. It's like, very few words. Very few things I have to say, and he does it." Even Garfield himself has expressed admiration for how things turned out.
Speaking to Deadline in late 2024, the actor admitted he was initially disappointed to exit the project but ultimately felt at peace after meeting Elordi. "I'm very, very glad that it was him doing it, and I am of course disappointed that I didn't get to do it because I love Guillermo, I love Oscar and everyone that he assembled so I was disappointed," Garfield said. "But meeting Jacob felt really serendipitous so that I could really see and hear that maybe he needed that experience more than me." For del Toro, the casting change seems to have been fate.
